New Delhi, May 18
Ajay Maken, Union minister of state for urban development, inaugurated a workshop on the sub-city plan being prepared under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Maken, in his inaugural address, stressed on an integrated plan for Delhi in which local municipalities should be made more powerful. He stressed on flexible master plans in sync with the requirements of the local area plan.

After welcoming the participants in the workshop, Parimal Rao, chairman, NDMC, explained the aim of the sub-city plan. The preparation of the sub-city plan for the NDMC area will outline a vision for the future development of New Delhi. In this process, the NDMC seeks to identify priority areas of intervention and alternative strategies for achieving the said goals.

The NDMC has engaged M/s IL and FS Ecosmart Ltd as a consultant for preparing a sub-city plan under the JNNURM for the area under its jurisdiction. An assessment of the present status of the NDMC area has been carried out by the consultant, which is to be presented to a representative cross-section of stakeholders, including citizens, institutional representatives, NGOs, government officials, elected representatives from the local bodies and other experts from various fields of planning.

The overall suggestions of experts were on land reuse, land management, resource management, stressing of redevelopment of the city according to the requirements of the citizens.

New Delhi, May 18
The chairman of the standing committee, municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD), Vijender Gupta, today demanded from the central government that the rates of conversion charges for regularisation of properties covered under the Master Plan of Delhi - 2021 should be fixed immediately.

He said the rates of conversion charges fixed earlier were high. The central government had assured to decrease those rates. It should be done without wasting time to enable people to get their properties regularised after payment of conversion charges.

Gupta further informed that now property owners could get regularised their premises built at residential plots and being operated as banks, nursing homes, guest houses and lodging houses by paying annual charges and cost of parking, which were calculated on self-assessment basis. He said the last date for depositing applications as well as conversion charges was June 30.

Gupta further disclosed the owners of small shops up to 20 square meters and which were catering to day-to-day needs of the residents and trading in 24 notified categories could also get their shops regularised by paying conversion charges on self-assessment basis. Similarly, the retail shops situated at about 2500 roads, which have been notified, as mixed land or commercial use can also be regularised by paying annual charges and cost of parking calculated on self-assessment basis.

At present, the conversion charges for A and B categories per square meter built-up area are Rs 1150, for C and D Rs 767, for E, F and G Rs 288. Rates of cost for parking for A and B Category are Rs 2,10,500, for C and D Rs 1,49,750, for E, F, and G Rs 66,500.

Giving details of the process of availing benefit under this scheme, Gupta said property owners would have to obtain the prescribed form from the MCD on payment of Rs 500. Thereafter, the applicant would have to deposit this form along with one-time parking charges and annual charges.

New Delhi, May 18
The Common Entrance Test for under-graduate and engineering programmes of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) will be held tomorrow from 2 pm to 4.30 pm. Some 18,594 students are going to appear for around 3,340 seats offered in B-Tech courses which include B-Tech/M-Tech (Dual degree) Chemical engineering, then B-Tech/M-Tech Information Technology, B-Tech/M-Tech computer science and engineering and B-Tech in IT, computer science and engineering, electronics and communication engineering, mechanical and automation engineering, power engineering, electrical and electronics engineering and instrumentation and control engineering program.

The CET for B-Tech courses will be held at some 69 centers in the Capital and 21 centres outside Delhi, including in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata and Lucknow. Candidates are advised to reach the centre at least half an hour before the exam.

The test paper for the engineering programmes will contain some 150 objective type questions. The CET for MBA, lateral entry to bachelor of pharmacy and lateral entrance B-Tech engineering and technology programs will also be held tomorrow from 10.30 am to 1 pm.

Noida, May 18
A bomb scare created commotion and panic at a shopping complex in Sector 18 for about two hours this morning.

A man entered the second floor office of a finance company in Ocean Plaza building and threatened to blow up everything as he claimed he was a human bomb and had guns and other lethal weapons strapped with his belt.

While he was boasting and bragging, the security guard of the finance company, Satinder, suddenly pounced upon him and had even succeeded in overpowering him for a while.

But somehow the man, who was later identified as Vinode of Bulandshahr, was able to free himself from the grip of the security guard and started running on the road towards Chilli restaurant. There, he threw away his belt and threatened that if anybody touches it he will be blown up.

Subsequently, the police from sector 20 police station reached the spot and threw sand on the belt. Later, a bomb disposal squad was also pressed into service.

The squad took out the belt, which was found to be harmless so was Vinode's dummy pistol.

So sector 20 police station Dinesh Kumar Yadav and CO Kuldip Singh were interrogating Vinode who was arrested.

The police said Vinode had allegedly confessed to owing a lot of debt, which led him to make a robbery bid on a bank or a finance company by posing as a human bomb.

New Delhi, May 18
A headless body bearing a tag saying "catch me if you can" was found near gate number one of the Capital's high-security location, Tihar Jails. The police suspect a psychopath killer could be on the prowl as this is the third such incident since October last.

The body was found dumped in a sack outside the jail gate in the morning. The body has been sent for an autopsy to Deen Dyal Upadhyay Hospital. The body could not be identified as it was headless and its hands and legs were also chopped. Preliminary investigations suggest that after the murdering at some other place the body was disposed of there. The police commissioner had summoned the SHO of Hari Nagar with a detailed report in this regard as a highly decomposed body was found around the same area 10 days back. A similar incident was reported around the area last October.

The commissioner has announced an out-of-turn promotion as a reward to the policeman who manages to get a lead on this.

Ghaziabad, May 18
A pregnant woman was allegedly shot dead by robbers near Ganga canal near Morad Nagar.

A couple returning after a visit to a temple were waylaid by some persons near Ganga canal near Morad Nagar and robbed of jewellery and cash. When the criminals tried to molest and rape the woman, her husband offered stiff resistance and also raised an alarm. Amid confusion, one of the robbers fired a shot which killed the woman on the spot.

The police have, however, denied the attempt to loot.

Sonu Tyagi, a resident of Mohammedpur Kadim village in Morad Nagar, had taken his pregnant wife Sunita to cave temple in Bagpat on Wednesday.

A duststorm and rain lashed the area while the young couple were returning from the temple at around 8.30 pm. One the way, Sonu's scooter developed a snag.

The couple had to stop near a hut on the Ganga canal bank. Their one-year-old son was also with the couple.

After a while, two persons riding a motorcycle descended on the scene. They looted Sunita's jewellery and Sonu's cash at gun-point. Then the bandits allegedly started harassing and molesting Sunita.

When Sonu resisted their attempt, a brawl ensued between the assailants and Sonu. When Sunita tried to come to Sonu's rescue, one of the bandits fired a gun-shot which hit Sunita who died on the spot. Seeing this, the bandits panicked and immediately sped away, Sonu told the police.

SO Sunal Tomar, however, denied the attempt to loot and insisted that Sunita was still wearing the necklace and other jewellery items which were handed over to Bal Krishen, the elder brother of Sonu, when her body was sent for autopsy. SO said the police would try to trace out the robbers soon.